A Friend for a Birthday
by Healer Pomfrey
Summary: Harry's eighth birthday. All these years, he has been having birthday parties, but he doesn't remember them at all. Totally AU, fluff, mentioning of abuse!Dursleys  thus the rating , sick!Harry, just a little drabble for Harry's and Neville's birthday


**A Friend for a Birthday**

**by Healer Pomfrey**

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._

_I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes!_

* * *

'_I'm eight today_,' Harry thought as he curled up on the mattress in his cupboard, listening to the sounds coming from the Dursleys, who were just leaving for a weekend on the beach. His whole body felt very achy, with his head being the worst. '_It's my own fault_,' Harry mused as he remembered the events of the previous evening.

_(Flashback July 30, 1988)_

Harry observed Petunia pack everything necessary for their holiday weekend into a large suitcase, completely forgetting that the Dursleys had never taken him with them and instead used to leave him with Mrs. Figg or just on his own. He happily carried his baby blanket to Petunia and carefully placed it into the suitcase.

"How dare you put your dirty blanket on our clean clothes in the suitcase?" Petunia shouted, picking up the small blanket with two fingers and an expression of pure disgust. "Take this back into your cupboard, you good-for-nothing lazybones. You're not going to go anywhere anyway."

Unfortunately, Uncle Vernon, who just entered the house, heard her shouting. Between gritted teeth, he hissed, "Stay out of our way, you dirty, little freak." With that he forcefully shoved the child into the cupboard, without being impressed by the fact that Harry hit his head against the wall and quietly began to wail.

_(End of flashback)_

Harry felt not only miserable, but also very lonely. '_I wished I was with my mummy_,' he thought, trying to fight the tears back that welled at the back of his eyes when he heard the Dursleys drive away. Not that he really missed them, but they were his family. Even if they despised him; they were the only people he had.

All of a sudden, the door to his cupboard was opened, and Harry glanced to the door in surprise that only intensified, when an older woman crawled into the tiny room.

"Happy eighth Birthday, Harry," she said in a kind voice.

"Thank you, Madam," Harry replied quietly, wondering if he was imagining things.

"Harry, do you remember me?" the woman asked, smiling at him.

"No." Harry shook his head, noticing that his headache flared at the small movement.

"Oh well, I've always been good at memory charms," the lady said, more to herself than to Harry, before she addressed the boy again. "Harry, do you remember Neville?"

"Neville?" Harry questioned pensively. Somehow, he had heard that name before, but he couldn't recall where and when. "I'm sorry, but who are you?" he whispered, anxiously curling up tighter.

"Neville is your friend, Harry. He is one day older than you, and you have always been having a birthday party together on your birthday. That's why I came today. Will you come with me for your birthday party with Neville, sweetie? I am Augusta Longbottom, Neville's grandmother." She unobtrusively pulled her wand out of her robe pocket, while Harry forcefully rubbed his achy forehead, and waved it in a small movement.

All of a sudden, Harry remembered how he had played together with Neville when they became seven... and six... and three... "Yes, I remember Neville," he said in amazement. "And I remember our birthday parties. Thank you so much for coming to fetch me. I'd love to have a birthday party with Neville."

"Very well then, give me your hand, and I'll take you to Neville," the kind lady said in a soft voice, causing Harry to hesitantly extend his left hand. Mrs. Longbottom held his wrist in a firm grip and said, "It'll be over soon," before she apparated away together with the child.

HP

When Harry had been feeling miserable before, he felt now even worse. Even when the movement stopped, he felt completely dizzy, and his stomach was churning. From the corner of his eyes he saw Neville smile at him, but he could only gasp, "I'm going to be sick."

Right in time, Mrs. Longbottom conjured a bucket, and Harry emptied the sparse content of his stomach. "I'm sorry," he said, absolutely horrified.

"That's not a problem, sweetie," Mrs. Longbottom said gently. "Are you ill, Harry?"

"No, only my head hurts a bit is all," Harry mumbled, shyly averting his eyes to the floor. He was brought back to reality when he felt an ice-cold hand on his forehead.

"Harry, you feel a bit warm," Mrs. Longbottom said thoughtfully and led Harry into a bedroom, where she made him lie down on a comfortable looking bed. "Wait a moment, sweetie. I'll call Madam Pomfrey and ask her to check on you. Neville will keep you company."

Harry looked at the woman in shock. However, before he could reply and explain that he didn't deserve being looked after, she left the room, and Neville sat on the edge of the bed.

"Happy Birthday, Harry," he said softly. "I'm so happy that you could come again, although I'm sad that you're sick. I hope Madam Pomfrey can make you feel better right away."

"Thank you, Neville. Happy Birthday to you, too," Harry replied, smiling. He really liked the other boy, who was much nicer than anyone else he knew. '_I wished I was living together with him and not with Dudley_,' he thought. '_Why didn't I remember our birthday parties until this morning? I could have looked forward to this for months_.'

He was pulled out of his thoughts when Mrs. Longbottom returned with another woman, who was dressed in white robes. '_Right, the people here wear robes, and they are magical. I even forgot that. I'm not a freak but a wizard. They told me last year and the year before. How could I forget something so important_,' he wondered. He anxiously looked at the two witches, when the one in the white robes waved her wand over him, especially as she began to mutter to herself in an upset voice.

"Augusta," the woman finally spoke up, "what happened to the child? He has a slight concussion, but that's not all. About seventy percent of his body is covered with bruises and welts, and he has several bones that are broken or improperly healed. He is badly abused."

'_Oh no_,' Harry thought, staring at the women in shock. '_Uncle Vernon will be so angry, because he'll think I told them_.'

"Oh well," the Healer spoke up again. "I'm going to heal him first, and then we'll discuss the matter." She enlarged her bag and opened it, pulling a small glass with cream out. "Harry, I'd like to apply this Healing cream to your injuries," she said in a soft voice, causing Harry to look at her frightfully.

"This will not hurt, sweetie," Mrs. Longbottom said kindly. "Now Neville, we're going to leave the room for a moment," she added and ushered her grandson out of the room.

Harry blushed deeply as the woman banished his clothes with a flick of her wand, leaving him only in his underwear. However, as soon as she began to apply the cream, he sighed in relief. '_Feels good_,' he thought, observing in disbelief how all of his bruises and welts that vanished.

"I think that was all," Pomfrey finally said. "Now I still need you to drink two potions, and then you'll be as good as new." She held out a small phial, motioning Harry to drink the light yellow liquid, before she handed him another one with a lime green potion. While he was distracted by the potions, she quickly waved her wand to mend his right wrist and his ankle, resolving to look after the other improperly healed bones at a different time.

Harry hesitantly obeyed, realising in surprise that his headache vanished together with the dizziness, and all of a sudden, he felt better than he had ever felt before. "Thank you so much," he said gratefully.

"You're welcome, sweetie," Pomfrey replied, smiling as she once again waved her wand over the child, clothing him into dark blue trousers and a green polo shirt that matched his eyes. "Now Harry, go and enjoy your birthday party with Neville." She led Harry downstairs into the living room, where Neville was sitting on the floor, playing with his new train set.

"Harry," he called his friend over in delight. "Come and help me to bring the animals to Hogsmeade."

While Harry happily hurried over to Neville, the two older witches took their seats on a sofa to continue their earlier discussion.

"Poppy, I don't know exactly what happened. However, I remember that Lily told us about her sister. Petunia absolutely detests magic, and from Harry's behaviour I agree with the assumption that he is neglected and abused. I have been fetching Harry here for his and Neville's birthday party every year from when he was two years old, and I always obliviated him, when I took him back, since Dumbledore insisted that he wasn't allowed any contact with the magical world."

"I'm glad that you fetched the poor child," Pomfrey said warmly, "and it was good that he was sick today, so that the matter was brought to our attention. We can't return the boy to his relatives. I know that Albus insists that he lives with them; however, I must report the Dursleys to the Ministry because of child abuse."

"But what will happen to Harry?" Mrs. Longbottom asked briskly. "I'd love to keep him here. It would be good for Harry and also for Neville if they could grow up together."

"I completely agree," Pomfrey said thoughtfully, observing the two boys peacefully play with each other. "The only problem is Albus. He even forbade Minerva to check on little Harry."

"Poppy, would you be willing to help me?" Mrs. Longbottom queried in determination. "If you do not report the Dursleys, I could instead place a memory charm on them, which would make them that believe Harry still lived with them but had just gone to visit a friend."

"Augusta, that's a wonderful idea. Of course I'll be here whenever you need my help, and Minerva will as well," the Healer replied gently. "Do you want Minerva and me to come later tonight to discuss how we can help you to get the guardianship over Harry without involving Albus?"

"Yes please, Poppy," Mrs. Longbottom said gratefully. She knew Poppy and Minerva from her own time at Hogwarts, and the three witches had always been best friends. She could fully rely on them to support her in any possible way.

HP

Harry and Neville enjoyed themselves greatly playing with Neville's new Hogwarts Express, until Lisa, the Longbottom's house-elf, called them for lunch. Harry was amazed that he was allowed to sit at the table just like Neville, and he looked at Mrs. Longbottom in happy surprise when she placed a second helping of dessert on his plate. After lunch, he received a huge package, which was wrapped in colourful paper, and Neville motioned him to open it.

Inside, Harry found a huge box with Lego, and the two boys spent a few hours building the stations of London and Hogsmeade for their train set as well as a few animals' stables with Lego. Later on, they played hide and seek in the garden, and Mrs. Longbottom observed the children with relief and amusement. Around dinner time, she noticed that Harry was getting jumpy and began to eye her with a sad expression as if he expected her to obliviate him again soon.

"Harry, Neville," she called the boys over and made them sit on the sofa next to her. "Harry," she began to speak, letting out a long sigh. "Would you like to return to your relatives, or do you want to stay here to live with Neville and me instead?"

Harry stared at the old woman, unable to comprehend the full meaning behind the words. '_What does she mean?_' he wondered, turning his eyes to Neville.

"Harry, that's too great!" Neville shouted. "Granny, can Harry stay here forever?" he asked with excitement that caused Harry to become very animated as well.

"I may remain here and live here?" he asked in disbelief, his voice barely audible.

"Yes, you may," Mrs. Longbottom replied kindly, "if that's what you want. The room, where you were earlier, has always been your room, sweetie. All the presents you received during the last years are on the shelf."

"Thank you," Harry breathed, and a huge smile spread over his face. '_Mrs. Longbottom is much nicer than Aunt Petunia, and Neville is the nicest boy I know_,' he thought happily as he excitedly followed Neville into his room, smiling when his eyes fell on the teddy bear, which he had received for one of his earlier birthdays. He carefully took it from the shelf, remembering that he had to touch the bear's stomach in order to change its colour.

'_This is my very best birthday_,' he thought later on, when he was lying in his new and comfortable bed. '_I gained a nice brother and a granny today. I love being here_.' With a small smile playing on his lips, he drifted off to sleep.

**The End**


End file.
